Should every capsule wardrobe have a white shirt? – Accessing the white shirt
You might have heard that white shirts are a must for your all-time capsule wardrobe but is it true? It’s certainly not a simple ‘one size fits all’ rule. Let me explain why…
Firstly, consider your face shape and to some extent your body shape. Do you have curvy features to your face or is it more angular? If it’s more angular then you are going to suit the structure of a stiff collared shirt, something that has a bit of an androgynous look to it. On the other hand, if your facial features are contoured then you will be best to marry this with a softer style, so go for a blouse instead.
By shirt I mean something that is more minimal in detail and made of a stiffer fabric, like cotton. In contrast, a blouse is floaty and more feminine. There’s been a big blouse revival happening. It’s partly a mash-up of the 70’s / 80’s / Victoriana trends and also a little bit to do with our ongoing penchant for all things boho. The most recent catwalks paired hippy blouses with flippy cotton skirts and linen trousers with gladiator sandals. Let the blouse do the talking and wear it with a plain blazer with jeans or tailored trousers now the weather is getting cooler.
Also, what about colour? If you have a cool skin tone then a white blouse is for you, as long as your features are not really soft, for example, fair hair, light coloured eyes and very pale skin tone, in which case go for an off white, ecru colour. If you’ve got a warm skin tone, then you should be going for a warm colour such as cream. And if you have a bright completion with all year round colour, then I’d plump for ivory.
So my answer is – we don’t all need a white shirt in our capsule arsenal! Think more broadly, what will suit your face shape and bodily proportions and it doesn’t have to be white, other neutral colours can work just as well.
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